Random and Odd's latest challenge:

1. Something that makes you go "hmmmm."

Will it fall or won't it? Hmmm....

2. Something Sweet

Not only is my cousin sweet, the fact her eye was fixed was sweet AND her hotel pillowcase was sweet! Sweetness all around!

3. Something Retro

Can't get more retro than this old car!

And yes, I was really up at 4 am...Wolf had to gooooooooo!

Jo just sent me the following link, saying: Breathe deeply and then read. My reply to her?

O.M.G.
OMG
OMEFFINGG!!!
HOLY SHITE!
I have chills!
OMG!

I think I've recovered enough to say thank you now...

WOW!!!

I must've been really really good in a previous life!

***UPDATED***

Saw this today on Borders' website:

Are you people trying to kill me?

Here's a bit to read while I'm gone...dunno if I'll be able blog from there!
These are the top 100 keyphrases used on search engines that ended up with people coming to fondofsnape:

1. woodchuck eating breakfast: Took a picture of that
2. snape photos: got those!
3. ginkgo tattoo: Dont' have that...yet!
4. hoops and yoyo thank you: I do like me some Hoops & Yoyo!
5. dry a memoir: Read it, awesome book, he mentions the fact that he had a shiba inu...but not what happened to it, not that I really want to know!
6. a guy tiara: Took a picture of that, too!
7. hug your snape today: Mmmm...would that I could!
8. janet christmas gift: Timely topic indeed!
9. fluffy apple pancake: Yup, made that~!
10. tattoo of grandchildrens names: No grandkids...

11. led zeppelin belly button rings: Nope, not til I lose like 3 gazillion pounds
12. redheads: Me, sometimes!
13. snape email birthday cards: LOL I'm not that far gone ... yet!
14. perfumes like obession: I wore Obsession back in the day, yup, sure did!
15. solid yellow tattoo: Hmmm...wrong blog, try divinereality ;-)
16. boobiethon 2006: Posted a pic there!
17. pictures of live turkeys in costumes in title pictures of live turkeys in costumes: I don't even know what that means!
18. 17 inch skillet recipes: Someone got a new skillet, eh?
19. snape spank: heh heh heh
20. lou reed take a walk on the wide side lyrics: LOVE that song!

21. wolf dogs: While Wolf may look like a wolf, he's not
22. van halen vitruvian man rock album cover: Was that on a Van Halen cover? I know it was on a Kinks album cover!
23. song lyric what ve i done to deserve this: Yuck, don't like that song
24. snape s favorite food: Hmmmm...wonder what it is *goes off into reverie of making Snape dinner, a cup of tea afterwards, maybe some scotch, then breaking out the whip...hmmm...
25. pics of holiday lattes: Love me some holiday lattes!
26. man snort wasabi sauce on yahoo: HAHAHAH dumb ass!
27. snapes jacuzzi: That's just wrong.
28. vintage kraft recipes: Cool search!
29. stunning tatoos: That would be my new phoenix, Fawkes.
30. todd rundgrun tour 2006: Heard that wasn't so good...

31. red velvet whoopie pie recipe: Oooh, that sounds yummy!
32. cafe latte dunkin donuts pictures: Someone really wants latte pics...maybe I should take some?
33. spoiler of the second summer of the sisterhood of the traveling pants: Dude, hasn't that book been out for like forever?
34. why do men like a challenge?: Um, I think it's cause they have a pen!s?
35. yahoo groups girls noseblowing: Nasty.
36. hallucinogenic plant vermont usa: HAHAH! It was in Rhode Island, y'all!
37. understanding yeats but one man loved the pilgrim soul in you and loved the sorrows of your changing face: Um...ok then...
38. fond of: Snape! Elves! Photography!
39. janet jack me portraits: Um...gross...
40. pepperidge farm peppermint: Delicious!

41. scallops and grape tomatoes: Took a picture of that!
42. nude female buttucks: None here, ya'll, and be thankful!
43. viggo lola photo: Viggo like Mortensen? Lola like...the Kinks song? Or did Viggo take a picture of some chick named Lola? He's a cool photographer.
44. belize city datura: Really? They have that there, too? Horrid place.
45. wingardian leviosa: I can think of a few things I'd like to levitate!
46. cherry tattoo pictures: None here!
47. transvestite chesapeake va: I'm sure they have 'em!
48. lilac tattoos: I thought about that but John said the flowers are too small
49. orange fireworks: Took a picture of that!
50. lestat tattoo: Oooooh a vampire tat! Hmmm...

51. vulture nh: Lots of vultures in NH, I'm sure.
52. 2006 november for cancerians: Um...good time or bad time?
53. every christian lion hearted man will show you chords: Is that a song??
54. pictures of birds flying in the sky and beautiful flowers background: hmmm...ok
55. men s pecs photos: ROFLMAO!
56. augusten burrough q&a: I love me some Augusten!
57. ectopic pregnancy korea boyfriend came inside me 2005: Whoaaaaa, waaaaaaay tmi!
58. peach tattoo photo: No peach tats
59. what is your vampire name: My vampire name is Giselle Beau Pre
60. private lightning - private lightning six: LOVED this band, they were a local Boston group, had some fantastic songs.

61. jack sparrow b-day card: MMmmmm, I could look at him all day long!
62. jim breuer s ac/dc hokey pokey: DAMN funny video!
63. obession like perfumes: Yeah, you said that already!
64. dog poop off your shoes: Man...if you need to search the internet to figure THAT out, sheesh!
65. lord of the rings skin: Had one...it broke!
66. o holy night pachabels canon: Ohhhhhhhhhhh hoooooooooooly niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight...la la la la la la
67. pickety post mason nh: Wicked good restaurant!
68. symbolism in the thirteenth tale -secret -prophet -political -religion -religious: Good luck finding any of that here!
69. dirty chrismas songs: That's wrong!
70. charging lion tattoo: Nope, not here.

71. tips on how to tattoo a tree: Why would one tattoo a tree?
72. snowy wolves: Love the imagery of that!
73. pictures of skinny girls with huge butts: Folks are just plain weird.
74. lyrics to \ walk on the wide side\: Another great song!
75. do professional photographers allowed to have tattoos Why not? Anyone can have tattoos, even people in the business world, provided they aren't on your neck, face, or the backs of your hands.
76. snape lily favorite couple: That would make Harry Snape's step son?
77. notned: HAHAHAHA! Ned's hot!
78. mac rebennack divorce: Honto? Dr. John's gettin' a divorce?
79. anuj nair: No clue
80. this is a card that has to do with sleep and so with both dreams and nightmares. it is a scary card in that it warns that there might be hidden enemies tricks and falsehoods: Yeah, I probably have a few of those!

81. monique s corn pudding recipe in essence magazine: Monique, girl! You've been holding out!
82. scallops & pasta & swiss chard: Dude, I made this too and took pictures of it!
83. cheasepeake bay bridge tunnel: Cool bridge!
84. tattoo pictures of mosquitos: Weirdo!~
85. pepperidge farm peppermint crunch geneva: Dark chocolate, I hope!
86. the soul that sees beauty may sometimes walk alone: Oh don't I know it.
87. pictures of small heart tattoos with a paw print inside on chest: Nope, but it sounds cool.
88. henrietta s table cranberry ginger martini: And this sounds delish!
89. aveda comforting tea headaches: My FAVORITE tea ever!
90. 17th december father christmas at snape: Did y'all know Snape is also a town in England? Now you do.

91. megan davies kinks: Megan has kinks; Ray Davies was a Kink...that's all I know!
92. to what do i owe the pleasure of this carbuncle? HAHAH Capt Jack Sparrow!
93. words tightrope--leon russell: Beautiful song.
94. alice cooper boston orpheum 1972: OMG I was there...and I did a terrible thing! Pat made me do it!
95. don snape: Don we now our gay apparel fa la la fa la la la la la
96. spikey pod plant: People just like gettin' high
97. fangs in her mouth blood: Vampires!
98. the red hot chillly peppers: Pretty cool band...
99. am i a snobby? can i take a test for it? If you have to ask the question, you probably are!
100. going to florida on holiday: Why yes, yes I am, in fact...

I'm off to Florida on holiday! See you next week!

Just got back from my trip and thought I'd post this before doing anything else!

Here's last Wednesday's picture:

And this is what it was cropped from:

rampantbicycle was the first one of many to guess correctly; she said: "That looks like part of a bulb of garlic to me (near the base, you know, where the cloves break off)."

These three cracked me up:

Gina "It's either garlic or a scary onion. :)"

Looloo "blaaaaaaagh its a partial pic of a moth body and his crusty wing.

Rusv "When I first saw it, I thought, Oh, I didn't know Boston had a snow storm! It looked like lots of snow over a wood pile with some barbed wire in the background...After reading the other comments, though, I can definitely see that it is most likely a bulb of garlic, and I need serious psychological counseling...:)"

So this week...

what is it?

Carl has come up with a great idea and he calls it the 2006 G.I.F.T. Challenge, short for Giving Inspiration, Fostering Tradition. This really intrigues me! I thought...what better thing to do at Christmas than share the things you like...and maybe learn some new things to enjoy!

Here are the rules:

"What you agree to do, if you choose to participate, is to partake of and/or post on any 4 of the following:

Christmas movies
Christmas novels/short stories
Christmas songs
Christmas poems
Christmas traditions
Christmas memories

For whichever 4 things you choose you will post about them. That is where the giving comes in. Giving of yourself for the shared edification and inspiration of others. Your favorite Christmas movie, story, song, etc. may just inspire others to try it out. At the very least we will share in your joy and enthusiasm as you give us a glimpse into who you are by sharing memories, traditions, and favorites.. “Where is the challenge?”, you may ask. The challenge comes in here: two of your 4 choices must either involve something completely new to you or something you haven’t read or watched in an inordinately long amount of time."

As such, here is my first post, and it's about Christmas tradition/memory! I hope you enjoy.

I've talked about family traditions quite a few times recently. I especially like that my cousin and I are getting our own family traditions going in a way that incorporates our personalities. We had a great Thanksgiving and she's also invited me (and Dad and my brother) to spend Christmas with her (and Greta's puppies will be there to join us!!!) She asked me "Do you guys do something special food wise that we can share with you?" and that made me remember the Sand Tart cookies my mother and father made every Christmas (the recipe is an old Pennsylvania Dutch one, which I'll share with you on my sidebar very soon).

The dough has to be chilled overnight and then rolled out thin as you can. We used old fashioned cookie cutters in the shape of a star, a christmas tree, a reindeer, a bell, a santa, a horse, a scottie dog (a shiba has snuck into the mix) and a fish. All the cookies were brushed lightly with a beaten egg and, except for the fish, sprinkled with either red or green sugar (in some cases, both). The fish, though...the fish got only cinnamon and ground walnuts.

When my brother and I were small, we had such a good time helping to make those cookies and it was a much loved tradition. My parents made those cookies with or as was the case as we reached our teen years and wanted to be with our friends, without us every Christmas up until a few years ago. They always made a ton, enough to give to friends and neighbors. They even sent me a tin of cookies each Christmas that I spent in Japan and the one Christmas I spent in CO.

I'm totally looking forward to reviving this tradition with Maribeth, who loves to cook as much as I do, and sharing it with her young neighbor, Emily.

08:30 AM - Comments (6)

Colleen has a great contest going on; it closes tonight at midnight, but it doesn't mean you have to stop "Paying It Forward"! Her Thursday Thirteen will give you some ideas of Thirteen Things You Can Do To Pay It Forward!

Tell me what you enjoy doing to "Pay It Forward"!

And am I the only one who finds it ironic that Colleen, a woman who writes books about a vampire slayer, included on her Thursday Thirteen list "donate blood"? I think she should've made it #13 instead of #12, tho hehehe ;-)

I love going places during the holiday season! France at Christmas is gorgeous, as is Italy, Canada, Germany, Japan, Norway, England. However, in reality, I've only been to France & Japan during the holidays, but I HAVE been to Epcot, where you can visit all those places in a single day!

Deb and Laura SHOULD open a B&B because they were the BEST hostesses ever! They made sure we were happy, fed and having fun every second of every day...even while sleeping, I swear, they filled the house with scents of zepolis and sugarplums!

Here's a sampling of our itinerary:

Saturday: Arrived in Orlando, met Deb & Laura at the airport, and off we went to their lovely timeshare. Dropped off the luggage, got a tour of the place, and then went grocery shopping and had dinner at the clubhouse. Came home, opened presents (they gave us gift certs for massages at the spa!!!), watched a bit of a movie and hit the hay.

Sunday: Breakfast at the Waffle House...grits!...yum! Love that place, none of 'em up here :-( Then off to the Magic Kingdom! We bought a two day pass to the Disney parks and went back and forth between the Magic Kingdom (LOVE saying that) and Epcot. Rode Pirates of the Caribbean (the first animatronic Johnny...er...Captain Jack Sparrow was TOTALLY awesome!), The Haunted Mansion and saw a 3D show featuring Mickey & Donald :-) Then Epcot! And tons of walking and drinking and eating and shopping, capped off by some AWESOME fireworks!

Monday: Used our gift certificates for a wonderful massage, then back to the timeshare for a delicious breakfast cooked by our gracious hostesses! Poor Laura was not feeling well at all, and decided not to go back to the parks with us, and Deb stayed home to take care of her. They were nice enough, though, to drop us off! So back to the Magic Kingdom for another ride on Pirates, and then back to Epcot for more shopping, drinking and eating. Deb & Laura picked us up about 930, and Laura made some zepolis (italian cookie/biscuits thingies, which were delicious).

Tuesday: Total pool day! Had breakfast at the clubhouse, laid out by the pool, took pictures, swam, sunned, read; had lunch at the clubhouse, repeat LOL! Went shopping to a Disney outlet and a regular outlet, then to Macaroni Grill for dinner and Krispy Kreme (Deb & Laura had never had one!) for dessert.

Wednesday: Deb & Laura took us to the airport where we did a bit more shopping (Lush!!!) and wandered off to our gate, only to find our flight was cancelled! Even that worked out well, we caught an earlier, direct flight, and were whisked away home!

And I'm wicked missing it today; it's FREEZING here!

She would've been 84 today and I miss her. Here are some memories I wrote about her last May.

I miss her...but I'm glad to know she's keeping in touch with my friend!

As my therapist said, the first time she met me...at least you have a great sense of humor :-)

Happy Birthday, Mom, wherever you are!!!

Also, I'd like to wish a very happy birthday to Monique and Michele! Hope you both had a fantastic day :-)

Another meme found at Fleur de Lisa, who borrowed this from someone, who borrowed it from someone else, and so on and so on.

Again, Lisa borrowed this from someone, who borrowed it from someone else, and so on and so on. The rules: "Write the first sentence of the first post of every month in 2006." I decided to change it a bit; instead of the first sentence, I did the first three sentences. I also added my three favorite pictures of each month. Here goes!

January: Welcome to 2006!

Happy New Year! Dad and I ushered in the new year with my cousin, Maribeth, her "hubby" and of course, Shubi, Fritz & Greta! MB made a delicious dinner of boiled lobster, carrot casserole & asparagas with apple crisp for dessert; of course, prior to and afterward we noshed on all sorts of yummy things: artichoke dip, clam dip, and lunch when we first arrived (a platter of liverwurst, tilseter cheese, salami, mozzerella & panchetta, with german bread called bauernbrot, fleishsalat, french onion soup & a platter of devilled eggs--yum!).

February: Wednesday's songs

Charles' 9 great songs from 1993:

Big Head Todd & The Monsters "Bittersweet"
Pearl Jam- "Daughter"

March: My vacation

as told in pictures:

Day 1 - 2/28: Beautiful macaw! Just one of the birds we saw at a bird rescue organization we visited on our bike tour of Key West.

April: Your soul was born in the Shadows...

Your soul was born in the shadows of the moon at night. You're all mystery and enigma and your element is the Moon. No one really knows who you are, but they might think they know you.

May: It's May! Why am I still wearing a coat?

Last Friday, I told you about the water heater. Well, it didn't get fixed Saturday...or Sunday...but hopefully it did get done today! I've been showering at the gym, not fun, but the extra added benefit is I actually am working OUT at the gym as well.

June: T13

Thirteen Things I love about June!
(the list is up early for the US, but it's Thursday SOMEWHERE in the world, right?)

1. It's my birthday month; I share a birthday with Cyndi Lauper & Todd Rundgrun, Ed Bradley (60 Minutes), Jai Rodriguez (the cute lil guy from Queer Eye), Mary Lynn Rajskub (10 points to those who know who she is), Steven Page from BNL, Dan Brown (he wrote The Da Vinci Code), and Meryl Streep, to name a few.

July: Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt

Not only do you get an automobile picture, you get kilts & bagpipes as well! Anyone know what kind of car this is? Saw it at the Union College "Re-Union" a couple months ago...

August: Opium and smoke and spice...ooooh my!

Rus, who's a new read of mine, was talking about scents in a recent post; he mentioned Lush and Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, which I'd never heard of. I clicked on the link and was happily immersed in reading about all the different scents these people put together!

This one, Les Infortunes de la Vertu, sounds like it would smell so good: A pain-tinged, pleasure-soaked blend of leather, oakmoss, orange blossom, amber, and rose with a breath of virginal French florals and a hint of austere monastic penitential incense.

September: Stuff Portrait Friday

Random and Odd's 3 items:

1. Show your Support (everyone supports something right?)
2. Show me your sacrifice (everyone makes them right?)








(yeah, totally broke the rules, but I just couldn't choose!)

October: a rainy day with Azzy & JR

Today I met Azzy and her beau, JR at Henrietta's Table in Harvard Square, where we decided we weren't hungry enough to spend $40 each on brunch. We headed over to Upstairs at the Pudding, which had an a la carte menu that was fantastic! I had an artisan cheese plate and a fruit plate (with a dirty martini which was quite good), Azzy had huevos rancheros and JR had divine rosemary steak & eggs.

November: What Is It Wednesday #30

Here's last Wednesday's picture:

This is what it was cropped from:

DebR got it correct again this week, "Rooster comb?"

December: Stuff Portrait Friday

Random and Odd's latest challenge:

1. Something that makes you go "hmmmm."

Will it fall or won't it? Hmmm....

Want to be my Blingo friend? Click on the link below:

My second win on Blingo happened on my very first search today! This is my 8th win overall:

- Fandango Movie Ticket, thanks to me! 12/11/06

- Fandango Movie Ticket, thanks to Michelle on 10/17/06

- $10 iTunes Gift Certificate, thanks to me, 7/13/06

- Blingo Movie Ticket, thanks to Megan 7/13/06

- $10 iTunes Gift Certificate, thanks to Amy on 6/30/06

- $200 Visa Gift Card, thanks to Michelle on 4/12/06

- $10 iTunes Gift Certificate, thanks to Michele on 3/31/06

- Apple iPod Nano, thanks to Megan on 3/7/06

Are you using Blingo to search? If not, you should! No strings, no spam, just prizes :-)

I've been waiting for that number to show up, and finally it did! Ocean Lady wrote the 7777th comment on this entry; and she wins a prize! You get to pick what it is; a gift cert, a picture, a christmas ornament, another Imp of perfume, whatever, as long as it's under $15! Your call :-)

Congratulations and thanks to everyone for coming by, reading and commenting!

Here is the second post (of 4) of Carl's 2006 G.I.F.T. Challenge:

When I was a child, up until about the age of 12 or 13, I went to church each Sunday; I even sang in the choir. I never did like it very much...except for Christmas time. I love to sing Christmas songs:

Silent Night
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
O Come All Ye Faithful
It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
O Little Town Of Bethlehem
The First Noel
Away In A Manger
Deck The Halls
Angels We Have Heard on High
Do You Hear What I Hear
We Three Kings
Joy To The World

The soaring organ music, the candles, the boughs of pine, the whisper of turning hymnal pages...there's something so magical about attending a Christmas service, even if one isn't particularly religious.

A couple of years ago, a blogger I used to read invited me to attend her church's Christmas service. Megan came with me and as we arrived at the church, I thought it lookeded very familiar, couldn't place it, tho. We went in, found seats (it was quite small and crowded) and got comfortable.

As we were singing, I kept catching glimpses of a woman sitting directly in front of me. Lo and behold, it was the sister of my high school boyfriend, along with her husband and daughter! Her brother and I had attended the church with her for a Christmas service years ago! She and I had been very close, but drifted apart when her brother and I broke up and I married someone else; I was stupid and thought it would feel too weird to still be friends. It was SO great to see her and her family.

A Christmas miracle? Maybe...

Do you have a favorite Christmas song?

Here's last Wednesday's picture:

I'd show you what it was cropped from...but it wouldn't really help much, so I'll just say that it was indeed a bud from a Christmas Cactus, as seen below:

DebR got it correct: "A bud off a Christmas cactus!" Kudos!

goofygirl scared me a bit by saying: "...Or something else on a female starting with a C.", but only cause she's studying to be a doctor!

These folks cracked me up:

SilverWillow "Uhhh...is that a kidney stone?"

Dyane "A talon from one of the hounds of Hell. I'm sure of it.

Carl "Since I am reading The Looking Glass Wars my first thought was a bloody jaberwock tooth. Of course I really know its toenail fungus from Chicken Little that you stole from his chicken feet whilst taking pictures in Fla. Why you wanted to do so is beyond me." and Gina "It's the turkey scrotum leftover from Thanksgiving!" seemed to be on the same general avian track.

So this week...

what is it?

Courtesy of and inspired by Zoot:

I'd've done more but I have to get back to work!

Thirteen Things I'm thinking about

1. hot elf bartenders and weird things you hear in bars: can't even go into those things since they were QUITE vile!
2. losing my job: When your boss tells you you should update your resume, is that a hint?
3. presents: I have lots to wrap and a few more left to buy! Get 'em while I still have a job, folks!
4. friends: Love 'em!
5. photography: I enjoy it immensely, but I think I'm not smart enough to do anything with it.
6. the past: Why I did the things I did...
7. the present: What will become of me?
8. evil people: I can't really say what I want cause I'm not sure who's reading my blog. Anyone got suggestions for a new name?
9. nice people: I run into quite a few!
10. shibas: Awwww, shiiiiiiiiibaaaaaaaas are soooooooo cute!
11. olives: Love 'em! Especially in martinis.
12. silver: Reminds me of elfs and shiny stuff.
13. Led Zeppelin boxer shorts: Saw these on a bridge in a tribute to someone who'd jumped.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It's easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Here's the recipe I promised!

1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 tsp grated orange rind

Sift flour, measure, add baking powder and salt, sift again.

Cream shortening; add sugar gradually and beat until light. Add well-beaten egg and orange rind.

Combine dry ingredients and creamed mixture. Chill.

Roll thin on a lightly floured board and cut into fancy shapes; place on greased baking sheet. Brush with egg white diluted with water; sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and decorate with blanched almonds.

Bake in a moderate oven (325 F) 8 to 10 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

We never used the orange rind or the blanched almonds. Feel free to, if it floats your boat :-) Here are some pictures that give you an idea what they're like. The cookies my parents made were flatter, tho...

Also, work with small amounts at a time, keeping remaining dough chilled until needed. Unchilled dough will pick up too much flour from the rolling pin resulting in tough, dry cookies. Excessive re-rolling also produces tough cookies.

Enjoy, and if you make them, I'd love to hear how they came out! Pictures would be awesome, too.

Random and Odd's latest challenge seems to be getting through the holidays in one piece. As such, her new husband is doing the honors this week. He'd like to see:

1. Your Roof

Two roofs for the price of one; mine's on the left

2. Your "hood"


This is where I grew up: the view across the street; up the street; the center of town; my elementary school; my highschool; the library where I spent so much time...all within walking distance; my 'hood!

3. Something you would not want to run into that is in your house.

Me, in the morning! I wouldn't want to run into myself *shiver*

Grab the Scavenger Hunt code. Photo Theme. Join the blogroll. Visit participants.

Annoying =


Looks more like sleepy, right? Well, you should see the bed when he's done sleeping on it...hair, hair, everywhere! THAT's annoying!!!

It's been a year since Mom passed away...and it feels like forever and it feels like yesterday.

I was with Michelle in Barnes and Noble when my brother called me...I went to find Michelle, told her what happened and in my shock said "But finish your shopping, ok?" She, of course, did no such thing and went with me to the nursing home and was just there for me. I don't know if I even thanked her as it was all kind of a blur but I appreciated her calm presence more than I'm sure she knew.

I was reading blogs today and came across the The Faeries' Oracle at ocean blue fire. So I asked the faeries a question about my job. Guess what the faeries said?

Well, here...read for yourself, you'll probably have to click on the picture to read the text clearly.

This is the Past:

This is the Present:

This is the Future:

Interesting...

One of my favorite scenes in Lord of the Rings: Return of the King was this exchange between Gandalf and Pippin:

Pippin: I didn't think it would end this way.
Gandalf: End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path... One that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass... And then you see it.
Pippin: What? Gandalf?... See what?
Gandalf: White shores... and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise.
Pippin: [smiling] Well, that isn't so bad.
Gandalf: [softly] No... No it isn't.

Friday night I went to my work Christmas party. That's all I got to say about that, as Forrest Gump would say. Afterward, went to see The Pursuit of Happyness; go see this movie! Will Smith was just amazing, as was his son!

Saturday, I took Dad and the dogs to Salisbury; Dad stayed in the van and the dogs and I had a quick romp. Max jumped up on some lady and I was reminded of Deb's reaction to the slobbering lab that jumped on her at Plum Island...let's just say she was none too happy. Watched bits and pieces LOTR and caught up on my Tivo'd Supernatural shows.

Sunday I took Dad out for breakfast, placed some flowers on Mom's grave (I want to thank each and every one of you who commented on Sunday's post and sent well wishes to me, I VERY much appreciated your thoughtfulness, thank you!), finished watching Supernatural, and caught more bits and pieces of LOTR. A friend from FL called me today, too, just to let me know he was thinking of me and missing Mom, as he'd been close to her. His wife sent me pictures of the puppies their dogs just had:

Aren't they so cute!

Today I called in sick to work; I'm on some new medication that quite frankly is making me a bit dizzy and a bit nauseous. The latter I welcome, I've not eaten much at all. The former? Well, not so much. Took it easy most of the day, finished up the last bunch of Christmas cards, finally. No silver embossed snowflakes this year, not even any pictures of the dogs. Sorry! At the last minute, went to the movies with Megan; we saw Casino Royale and...O.M.G.! That is one HOT Bond!!! My favorite used to be Sean Connery...oh my, sorry but that Daniel Craig is yummy! I don't want to ruin anything for those of you that might not have seen it...but my favorite scene is when he's sitting in the chair with no seat. HOLY MOG!

Here's last Wednesday's picture:

It wasn't cropped from anything, that was just the picture!

DebR got it right...she said: "The edge of a scarf made with fancy yarn!"

MB didn't get it right, she said "It's that crap in a planter. You know, geeze what is that called again???", but it did made me laugh!

So this week...


what is it?

I took the pic, Michelle added the hat. Max LOVES to run and he is incredibly fast; he's FLYING in this pic...all 4 feet off the ground! Such a happy dog when he's running :-)

Thirteen of my favorite Christmas songs
Do you know what they are?

1. When I was small I believed in Santa Claus / Though I knew it was my dad
2. You're a three decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich / With arsenic sauce.
3. I'm so hard to handle / I'm selfish and I'm sad
4. Santa Claus is not a musician, man! / I'm hip, man! That cat didn't know ANY tunes, man!
5. From base to summit, gay and bright / There's only splendor for the sight.
6. A&P has provided me / With the world's smallest turkey
7. And so I'm offering this simple phrase / To kids from one to ninety-two,
8. He sees you when you're sleeping / He knows if you're awake
9. Faithful friends who are dear to us / Gather near to us once more
10. And as I turned to make my way back home / The snow turned into rain
11. What a bright time, it's the right time / To rock the night away
12. Then one foggy Christmas Eve / Santa came to say:
13. When it snows / ain't it thrilling

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Here are the names of the songs for the lyrics I posted in today's Thursday Thirteen:

1. Father Christmas - The Kinks
2. You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch
3. River - Joni Mitchell
4. Santa Claus and His Old Lady - Cheech and Chong
5. O Christmas Tree
6. Christmas Wrapping - The Waitresses
7. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) - Nat King Cole
8. Santa Claus is Comin to Town - Bruce Springsteen
9. Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas
10. Same Old Lang Syne - Dan Fogelberg
11. Jingle Bell Rock - Hall and Oates
12. Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
13. Winter Wonderland

Thanks for guessing, it was fun!

Random and Odd's latest assignment is:

1. One Decoration

My most favorite decoration!

2. One Gift

This is a t-shirt I got from a friend night before last; it makes me smile!

3. Something stuffed in a stocking

And, dude, it IS stuffed in there!

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Lines =

Here's a picture of my latest tattoo, with John working on the lines.
Happy Holidays to everyone!

2 weeks old today; one of Greta's puppies :-) Greta is owned...or more correctly, Greta owns my cousin!

And seasons greetings to those of you that don't celebrate Christmas :-)

Monday: The only non-Christmas event this week, I met Megan at Not Your Average Joe's, and went to see Casino Royale...the first Bond movie I've seen that wasn't corny beyond believe. Go see it! One word for Daniel Craig: Yum!

Tuesday: Krista & Matt invited me over to see their new house, which is just beautiful! She made a lovely dinner of General Loo's chicken, Megan & Jim were there, too and we had wine and a good time. Thanks, K!

Wednesday: Headed to Not Your Average Joe's, after some confusion over which one we were going to, with Krista, to meet Michelle. We had a nice dinner and exchanged gifts.

Thursday: I met up with Lauren & Meg at Not Your Average Joe's (yes, again LOL) where we had dinner and exchanged presents. Eileen came along to give us comic relief.

Friday: Oh, what a night! Megan and I had a magical time! We met at Barnes & Noble and opened gifts there. Next up was:

Sandrine's, a nice french bistro in Harvard Sq. The service left a bit to be desired, but the food was beyond reproach! We dined on appetizers only, so we could try a few different things: escargot, onion soup, pates...along with a glass of beaujolais nouveau, it was quite delicious!

We hopped on the T and headed to downtown Boston, were we had a drink at The Oak Bar at the Fairmont Copley Plaza. It was like sitting in my grandmother's parlor, the service was fantastic and very gracious, the jazz was great, and the martini was the best ever! It's called the Charles River martini, and as you might guess by the name (if you're from around here), it's a very dirty martini. It has green olives, kalamata olives & cocktail onion, all chopped up, in it and oh my was it GOOD! It was also quite possibly the most expensive martini ever...clocking in at $24!

From there we went to the bar at one of Boston's most posh restaurants, Aujourd'hui. The service there was the best I've ever had; our server was attentive, congenial and fun! I had Pernod on the rocks with water, and we ordered a cheese plate that was served by a Frenchman with an accent that had Megan melting LOL!

Finally, we ended up at Top of the Hub, a bar/restaurant on top of the 52nd floor of the Prudential Building, where we ran into Michelle and her husband! I was bone tired by then and ready to head home. It really was a magical night of no worries, just pure enjoyment! I highly recommend trying this sometime :-)

Saturday: I headed up to my cousin's for a pre-Christmas celebration. Unfortunately, I was late, so I missed the lunch at Canoe! But Maribeth made a fantastic dinner of all appetizers; meatballs, artichoke dip, grapeleaves & potato salad...yum! And I got to play with the puppies!

Two weeks old!

We made my parents' Sand Tart cookie recipe, and watched Scrooged, which I think only amused me LOL! We then watched POTC: Dead Man's Chest, nothing to do with Christmas, but ai yi yi that Capt. Jack Sparrow is muy easy on the eyes!

Sunday: Delicious breakfast, with some stollen for dessert (what...you don't eat dessert for breakfast?).

for ME

the stollen!

Then we exchanged presents, and afterward I headed home to clean and organize. My brother came over with pizza, he and Dad watched the football game while I got things done around the house. After the game, they helped me make cookies, my traditional molasses chewies and toll house biscotti.

Wolf helped, too!

We ordered Chinese for dinner and watched How The Grinch Stole Christmas, followed by the movie My Girl.

Monday: Merry Christmas! We were up earylish, I had YET to wrap presents, so while Dad & bro ate a breakfast of baked french toast, I wrapped and finally got it all done LOL! Then we tore the gifts apart :-)

Altho this was my brother's present to my Dad, I'll get to use it, too! The cup was a gift from a coworker!

Today? I'm taking the dogs for a long walk, leftovers for dinner and slathering myself, after showering, in my new body lotion!

What are you doing today?

Here's last Wednesday's picture:

Again, I didn't take a bigger shot, but I did find this photo online that shows what it was from

Dawners got this one right...she said: "Looks like a piece of stained glass or art glass."

Seeing as how that was so tough, I'm giving you an easy one this week!

what is it?

Thirteen Things about me!
winks to Lisa for the inspiration!
choose which you think I prefer and if you really want to amuse or impress me, tell me why you chose it!

1. bleu cheese & pears or cheddar cheese & apples?
2. sweet pickles or sour pickles?
3. Professor Snape or Captain Jack Sparrow?
4. house in the country or house in the city?
5. pea soup or chicken noodle soup?
6. Paris or Tokyo?
7. red wine or white wine?
8. Harry Potter or LOTR (movies)?
9. driving or being chauffeured?
10. Zeppelin or the Beatles?
11. chips or chocolate?
12. silver or gold?
13. first husband or second husband?

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It's easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Random and Odd's latest assignment is:

1. Something that you won't have in your home in 2007

I won't have a collection of SIX Harry Potter books in 2007...I'll have SEVEN! And I can't WAIT! Snape...good or bad?

2. Something random and odd

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil...and don't have any evil sex!

3. 07...pick seven of something. Or with the number 7. Whatever. Be creative.

Engine #7, VA Beach

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New =

A new puppy (not mine!)

January:

- Great New Year's Eve with my cousin and her husband
- back to the gym
- Tea at the Ritz
- Saw Les Miserables at the National Theater in Washington, DC
- Mom's memorial service
- the old Ash tree in front of the house was cut down
- went to a drag queen show in Boston!
- Charles Laquidara back on the radio! Woohoo!

Movies:

- Brokeback Mountain
- Narnia
- Last Holiday

Books:

- The Love Wife by Gish Jen

February:

- had two pictures for sale at the Animal Rescue League of NH
- Bro's 17th anniversary
- Heather's birthday
- Helped Krista move
- Saw Dr. John in concert
- Dad's birthday
- Got a new camera, Canon20d!
- bought a new tv
- took a cruise (Key West, Cozumel, Belize City)

Movies

- a freak who prank calls some screamy-meemy whiny-ass teenage girl all night long
- Nanny McPhee
- Walk The Line
- Pink Panther
- King Kong

Books:

- Cell by Stephen King

March:

- My blog was Michele Agnew's site of the day! Thanks, Michele!
- sold my first picture
- donated two pictures to a charity in NC
- Saw Ray Davies in concert
- Started & dropped out of a jewelry making class (what was I thinking? making silver jewelry is NOT a quiet thing!)
- the house next door caught fire

Movies:

The Hills Have Eyes
The Libertine
Flight Plan

Books:

Garlic and Sapphires : The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion (never did finish it)

April:

- traveled to MD
- had a very strange phone call from someone I worked with in Japan
- hung pictures at Starbucks in Burlington
- started What Is It Wednesday
- had a photoshoot in a jewelry store
- Diana passed the NH bar exam!
- got a new hot water heater
- Zombie March in Davis Sq.
- Photo shoot in Marblehead for engagement pictures

Movies

- Transamerica
- American Dreamz

Books

- My Life in France by Julia Child

May:

- Hung pictures in Starbucks in Woburn
- Sold another picture
- bought a 50 mm lens
- found a runaway dog, reunited her with her owner
- Went to Toronto, saw the LOTR play, had a photo shoot with a friend's 3 little girls
- Trip with the girls to Schenectady, NY to attend the Union College ReUnion
- Got the tiny bit of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) scraped off and cauterized on my arm

Books:

Dry by Augusten Burroughs
Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs
Possible Side Effects by Augusten Burroughs

Movies:

- American Haunting
- X-Men 3: The Last Stand
- Thank You For Smoking
- The DaVinci Code

June:

- Trip to VA with ME
- yearly mammo...all was well!
- my birthday!
= Menopause: The Musical

Movie:

- The Omen
- An Inconvenient Truth
- Click

Books:

Life Expectancy: A Novel by Dean Koontz
A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore
Heat by Bill Buford, which I promptly lost and never got to read!

July:

- 4th of July at my cousin's
- Discovered my new perfume, "Snape"
- Did a photo shoot with a friend's two daughters
- Saw the Dropkick Murphys in concert
- Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival
-- Saw a band called Enter The Haggis; they were GREAT!
- Had my palm read
- Did something that made Krista open her eyes wide in horror and laugh hysterically
- Saw Body Worlds 2

Books

- Apparently, none!

Movies:

- The Devil Wears Prada
- POC: Dead Man's Chest
- Lady in the Water

August:

- Discovered Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab
- Saw Leon Russell in concert
- Saw Chrissie Hynde & the Pretenders in concert
- Girls weekend in Burlington, VT
- Saw John Fogerty in concert
- Megan's birthday
- Met The Princess and The Tramp!
- Mom's headstone was finished and put in place
- New Captain Jack Sparrow skin for my blog!
- "Real Men Love Cheeses"

Books:

nada!

Movies:

- World Trade Center
- Little Miss Sunshine
- Snakes on a Plane

September:

- Megan launched A Girl Must Shop; have you checked it out? Cool site! Happy shopping!
- Steve Irwin passed away...so sad...
- Saw Dr. John in concert; got a couple of great pics
- shot a wedding on Peake's Island in Maine
- Krista's birthday
- shot a wedding in Lowell

Books:

- The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice
- The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Movies:

Nada!

October:

- Michelle's birthday
- Aislinn's birthday
- Saw Bare N@ked Ladies in concert
- resigned from certain aspects of my job
- ME, and Deb & Laura came up for Halloween!

No movies or books, apparently!

November:

- Pat's birthday
- Maribeth's birthday
- Got a new tattoo!
- Laura's birthday

Books:

Movies:

- Stranger Than Fiction
- Running With Scissors
- Wicked Little Things
- The Hamiltons
- Bobby

December:

- Went to FL with Megan, and Deb & Laura!
- Started a new Christmas tradition; visiting swanky bars for just one drink. Has to be the Friday before Christmas!

Books: I'm a slacker, as far as reading is concerned!

Movies:

- The Pursuit of Happyness
- Casino Royale

I arranged them by month, top left is January, etc.